The Midnight Man
by EsmeraldStar16
Summary: "Claire tossed and turned on her bed, but sleep seemed far away from her. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 12:00, it read. She threw the covers off, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. A frantic knock at her door startled her, causing her to drop the glass. Who could it be at this hour?"
1. Chapter 1

**Foreword: Meet the Author**

 **Heeeeeeey-'Sup. My name is EsmeraldStar16, and this is my first fan-fiction. I am new to the fandom, but not to the show. I've seen almost all the episodes, not to brag or anything, but it had been years since I'd last seen the show.( I have a really bad memory, so I forgot them all. It wasn't like a month ago until I re-discovered my childhood. The only difference this time was that the show was over, and the episodes were re-runs.)**

 **So yeah. Some facts you should know about me are; 1). I'm a Tobey fan. Like, I literally scream when he appears in one of the episodes, which earn me a stare from my mom. 2). I am also a Tobecky fan-no surprise there. Those two would make a cute couple, in my opinion. 3). My favorite color is blue. 4). My favorite number is 16. (I don't know why I said that-probably thought you should know.) I should also stop rambling- please read, enjoy, and review!**

The Midnight Man

Claire tossed and turned on her bed, but sleep seemed far away from her. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. !2:00, it read. She threw the covers off, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. A frantic knock at her door startled her, causing her to drop the glass. _Who could it be at this hour?_ , she wondered to herself as she walked to the door. The person knocked once more. Well, whoever it was, the person must be desperate to be knocking like that, and especially at midnight. When she opened the door, the person rushed in, dripping wet from the night's sudden rain. A wail erupted from the blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms. He uncovered it revealing a crying baby boy. The man-Claire assumed he was the father-cradled him and started to rock him gently. A cold breeze blew from the still open door. Claire turned to close it when the man spoke.

"His name's Theodore. Theodore McCallister the Third. But I call him by his middle name-Tobey."

Claire closed the door, and spoke, "If, he's the third, I assume your name is also Theodore."

"Then you assume correctly, for I am the Second." The man said. Claire noticed that he spoke with an accent-British. He looked at her. He wore black-framed glasses that were the size of half of his face, had light blond hair, soft blue eyes, and pale fair skin. Claire looked at the now quiet baby. The baby had the same pale fair skin as Theodore, but he had cerulean blue eyes, and golden hair. The baby looked at her, his eyes wide, curious and knowing.

"His mother?" Claire asked.

"His mother...passed away. She was the most wanted double agent of the country."

Claire looked shocked. Theodore realized his mistake in telling her classified information.

"Forget I ever told you about her." He said.

"Why?"

"Because you were not supposed to know that. And neither was I."

"But what about-"

"Shhh." Theodore said. "Your name is Claire, I assume."

"Yes. Claire Ester Smiths."

"It was Claire Ester Smiths. Ever since you opened the door you have been Claire McCallister, mother of one, and my wife. Everyone that you ever knew is dead, and to everyone that knew you, you have died. Tomorrow we leave town."

"Where?"

Theodore bit his lip, fearing her reaction. "We leave to Fair City, a city miles away from here."

"Then let me pack my bags."

Theodore smiled in relief. He looked at his sleeping child, and whispered, "My dear child, you now are safe."

And the baby smiled in his sleep.

 **Authors Note**

 **I should probably thank my sister for helping me on this story. Thank you Sister! Also, you dear reader for deciding to read this story. Sorry it's kinda short. Also it kinda sucks. But I will leave it to you to decide whether that's true or not. And also, I will update this story, but the other chapters are sorta irrelevant to this one so you could stop reading here, and you won't miss anything important. But if you decide you want to find out what happens next, you are welcome to wait for the next update. (May take awhile and a lot of chocolate- I have a terrible sweet tooth and still need to find out how to upload the next chapter, and write it, of course!) Thanks once more and ta-ta!**


	2. Chapter 2: Three Years Later

**HEEEEEEEEEEY! I'm back people with a new chapter-finally. It took five chocolate hearts, three Hershey bars , two lollipops, and my annoying little sister to get me off the couch and start writing again.( It's the procrastinator's curse, being lazy to do something important, but not too lazy to waste time on other things.) Yeah, but before you get comfortable and start reading, I have to apologize. The reason why is because on the last chapter there was a mistake. You probably noticed it-it was the part where it says '!2:00'. Meant to say 12:00, but I accidentally was holding the shift button when I pressed the '1' key. Oops. (There's probably some more mistakes I haven't noticed, so please forgive me! I beg you!) Remember to always read, please enjoy and review!**

 _Three years later…_

Three year old Tobey was playing in the backyard with some toy robots. Claire noticed how a like he and the long-dead Theodore, his father. Though Claire wasn't sure Theodore had actually died-he had been away for so long, Claire just started to assume so.

"When is father coming back home, Mother?" Tobey asked.

"I don't know, Tobey. I don't know." Was her honest response.

"Oh." He said dejectedly.

"But show me your robots."

He brightened at the mention of his robots. "Look! I can make them move!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! Look!" He said and pressed a button on the remote. The robots started to dance.

"Oh! They really do move!" Claire said in surprise.

"I know! It's...now, what's that word again? Oh, yes! Amazingly awe-strikingly wonderful!" He exclaimed. Claire didn't want to point out the fact that it was actually three words he had said-he was excited and that was a rare moment, nowadays. Instead she asked, "Yes, it is honey. But it didn't do that before. How come it does now?"

He adjusted his too-big black framed glasses-a parting gift from Theodore. Claire remembered that the day before he disappeared mysteriously, he changed the lenses, and gave them to Tobey. That man really did go out of his way for his son-or at least used to.

"Because I programmed them to do so."

"How?" She asked.

He looked at her. "I would explain, but, really Mother, I don't think you would understand."

Tobey stared at his bedroom ceiling angrily. He couldn't believe that the woman had the guts to send him to his room! All he had said was the truth. His mother would never understand what he did to make the robot move. Nor would she ever understand how it felt like to be him, a boy genius. He could already do long division, read at a high school level, and program robots, meanwhile the other kids were still learning their numbers, trying to speak in complete sentences, and trying to figure out the difference between colors! Wasn't that enough for his mother?! Apparently, not. Maybe that was the reason she had scheduled that playdate with that girl Rose Heaslip next week. Or was it Lily? He didn't care either way. She was most likely just as stupid as the rest of them imbeciles. What would Father do? Probably tell him to go with the flow.

But Father wasn't there. So why should he, Tobey, boy genius, do what his father might have told him to do? He remembered his father's disapproving gaze when he had messed up an experiment. Tobey knew the answer to that question. He would never, ever want to disappoint Father, even if he wasn't there. Tobey removed his glasses, placed them on his nightstand and cried himself to sleep.

 **A/N**

 **Apologies : Sorry it's so short! Didn't mean to write it this short, but this is how it came out...**

 **Again I will thank all of you for reading this. I am very grateful that you decided to read this small fan fiction out of all the rest you could have read. It brings tears to my eyes, and I would cry... but *looks around* too many people are looking in my direction. So, thanks once more and I really hope that you have enjoyed this, and review. I'd really love to hear all your thoughts and suggestions on how to make my writing better.**

 **Robots forever,**

 **EsmeraldStar16 signing off.**


	3. Chapter 3

**'Sup, everyone! I'm back with another chapter of this story-yaaaaaaay! It took me a while to get this chapter right, and it still doesn't seem right-it feels too rushed. But I am/was in a hurry so...yeah. Now forget about me, and as always, please read, try to enjoy, and review!**

* * *

Chapter 3

 _He looked at her smugly. 'She'll never beat me now!' he thought. He looked at her puzzled face, and crossed his arms. It had been a good idea, to bring a game of checkers, something this girl Heaslip didn't know how to play. He was sure to win-wait. What? No! That wasn't possible! How did she do that? How did she win? He dropped his smug face and looked shocked at her-_

Tobey shuddered at the memory of losing to that girl. That was really embarrassing for him, a boy genius, to have lost to girl like _Heaslip_ , whatever her first name was. But the past was past. Hmph. That was something Father would have said. Argh!

 _Don´t think about Father_ , he thought to himself. He started to think about the robotics kit his mother had given him for his tenth birthday two months ago. Oh, the robots he would be able to build with that kit! Maybe he might be able to build a robot that would keep his room organized and clean-then Mother wouldn´t go through his stuff anymore.

What did he mean _maybe_? Of course he would be- His thoughts were interrupted by a red flash, which zoomed past him.

"Wha-" He said, his accent wavering momentarily. He looked around, realizing that he had walked into a crime scene.

"Hey, kid!" A police officer called out. "You do know that you're in the middle of a -"

"Crime scene? Yes, of a matter of fact, I do know that. It doesn't take a genius to know that. Although," Tobey said, watching a girl in a red suit and helmet zoom by, stopping a man with a brain stuck on his head. "Who is she?"

"You don't know who she is?"

"Well, if I did know, I wouldn't be asking, would I, _imbecile_?"

"Kid, calm down! I am no… whatever you said."

"Imbecile?" A voice said behind them.

"Yeah, that. Thanks Wordgirl! Just one question. What does that mean?"

"It means you are an idiotic life form, in which is in every way inferior to a genius like me." Tobey said.

"That's not-" Wordgirl started.

"Well, it was nice chatting with you, but I think you're wasting your time and mesmerizing intelligence Wordgirl, trying to explain a word to someone like _him_." Tobey cut in. "Somebody so unlike us."

"Us? What do you mean-" Wordgirl said, but the boy genius was already gone. She sighed. "Come on Huggy, time for dinner." She said to her monkey sidekick. She would forget about blond boy genius, and it would be months before she saw him again.

Tobey sighed, and fell back on his bed. "Wordgirl." He whispered.

And he laughed in delight, for this young ten year old had fallen in the clutches of a first crush.

 _How will I ever get her to notice me?_ He wondered. He looked at his robots, all cluttered all over his bedroom floor. He sat up. "Yes! Yes! My robuts!" He exclaimed.

The answer to his problems lay in metal, wire and cogs. _Though_ , he thought, _they will need to be bigger. At least big enough to cause some havoc throughout the city!_ He ran to his drawing stand. _Now, where did I leave that blueprint paper? Aha! Here it is!_ He laid down the new blueprint paper on the drawing stand and got to work. It would take the genius several hours of trying and failing to achieve his goal, and a lot of months to finish his hidden army of fifty feet robot army.

He was able to finish all of this, all thanks to that robotics kit his mother gave him.

* * *

 **A/N**

 _ **Addressing the last chapter:**_

 _ **When Tobey Was A Toddler** **:**_ **Yes when Tobey was a child, he was cute. Just see _Monkey-Robot Showdown_ to see what I mean.**

 _ **For this chapter:**_

 **I hope you enjoyed this new chapter, and please review!**

 **Robots Forever,**

 **This Girl's Gonna Be Late If She Doesn't Hurry up (EsmeraldStar16) signing off**


	4. Chapter 4

**And I'm back once more with Chapter 4! *Celebrates mentally***

 **To _RememberWordgirl_ : Yes and no. Yes I know this website where you can watch Wordgirl episodes-but no, because the website does not have _Monkey-Robot Showdown_. Sorry. I can' t post a link here but... *Gets close to the screen and whispers* If you can decipher the code provided below you can find it;**

 **Tl ernrg Hlnvgsrmt Srwwvm Xszkgvi vrtsg yb Sryrhxfh**

Chapter 4

He sat on his bed, his ear aching. What was wrong with that woman? It wasn't his fault! No, not at all. It was all that girl Becky Botsford's fault! If she had just admitted that she was really Wordgirl, none of this would have happened! None of it! It was just as simple as that.

But, Becky Botsford didn't really convince him. He had a hunch that she was really Wordgirl-and his hunches were almost never wrong. But how will he get her to spill the beans? A plan started to formulate in his head. No, that wouldn't work.

He sighed, and looked down at his ankle, where the tracking bracelet was resting. Of course, he had been able to reprogram it, but what had him fascinated was the fact his mother had made it. Maybe his mother wasn't as stupid as he had originally assumed. He toyed around with the device mindlessly, until it popped open. But then again, his mother would never be smarter than him. He grinned evilly. That fool of a woman. He took off the bracelet and tossed it aside. Was that a smudge on his glasses? He took it off, and rubbed it against his vest. He held it to the light inspecting it for any more smudges, squinting. He lowered his hands, and played with the spectacles, lost in a flashback.

" _Here, my dear son. I give you something special, proof of my affection towards you." Theodore said to his son, handing him-his glasses?_

" _But Father! These are yours-therefore, I cannot take them!" A young Tobey had said._

" _They are no longer mine-they are yours now." He placed the glasses on Tobey's face. The two year old gasped. The world that seemed so fuzzy and blurry before now came to a sharp focus, all crystal clear. The toddler looked up at his father._

" _But you need them!" Tobey protested._

" _But you'll need them more. Besides, you look like a genius. A proper boy genius." His father had said. The two year old smiled._

" _You really think so?" Tobey had asked._

" _Yes, I do. Now, does my boy genius want to go for an ice cream?" Theodore asked._

" _Yes! I want chocolate!" The boy exclaimed._

" _Chocolate it is, then." Why had his father looked so sad? It didn't matter. They were going for ice cream._

Something wet rolled down the cheek of the ten year old genius. He quickly wiped it away, angry.

He shouldn't be crying over a memory as stupid as that one. His father didn't deserve his tears. Not a single one. Though, he really could go for an ice cream at this moment. Preferably a triple fudge sundae. _But the house arrest_ …

The hey with the house arrest. He was going for that triple fudge sundae, no matter what. "Robut," Tobey whispered. A giant metallic being peered inside the window. Tobey climbed out the window and onto the robot's outstretched hand.

"To the ice cream shop." He commanded to the robot. The robot immediately headed downtown towards the ice cream shop.

"Tobey! Time for dinner!" Claire called out. No response. Hmph. That was odd. Tobey usually responded-oh. Right. This wasn't ' _usually_ '. Tobey had tried to crush that girl Becky Botsford's house. The house shook, like a giant fifty foot robot was heading downtown. Tobey! She checked the monitoring device. Nope. He was still in his room.

She checked outside. No sign of robots anywhere. He really must be in his room. Probably still angry about the incident with the Botsford's. Where did he ever get the idea that a girl like Becky could be Wordgirl? She shook her head. That kid would be the end of her. But wasn't that what she chose many years ago when she left with Theodore?

She looked at Tobey's closed bedroom door, only to look away once more. She didn't know. She didn't know.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **I'd like to say thank you to all of you who are reading this. Thank You! You all make my day a whole lot better.**

 **(And to you my annoying sister. You were the one who pestered me to my breaking point to upload this chapter. *Smiles* Thank you.)**

 **Robots Forever,**

 **Esmerald-This-Girl-Is-Absolutely-Tired-And-She-Thinks-Her-Brain-Just-Died-Now-Star16 Signing off.**


	5. Chapter 5

**And I'm finally back (after two or three weeks of not updating this story. Great timing Esmerald. Really great timing. Anyways, I think this is one of the worst chapters I've written from the whole story, but I did have the worst case of writer's block ever when I was writing this. So yeah. I hope you enjoy and review, and I present to you chapter five.**

* * *

Chapter 5

 _Five Years Later…_

He was enjoying the view along with his triple fudge sundae when Wordgirl appeared. Startled, he dropped the sundae, and it fell down to the floor fifty feet below them. So much for a triple fudge sundae...

"Stop right there- wait. What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be, you know-"

"Destroying the city? Eh, not really in the mood right now."

They stayed in a really awkward silence.

"Well, this is awkward." Tobey finally said.

"Yeah. So since you're not doing anything wrong, I guess I'll go home- I mean go scout the city for any crime…"

"No, don't go!" He blurted out. "You don't, uh, want to miss the sunset." _Stupid!_

She smiled. "Okay, if you say so." She floated towards him, and sat next to him. Their arms brushed, sending an electric feeling all throughout his body.

"Wow… the sunset _is_ amazing." She said in wonder.

"Not as much as you." Tobey mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just commenting on the view."

"It really is a good view of the city."

"That's for sure. Makes me wonder why I feel the need to destroy it so often."

"But why do you destroy the city, really?"

 _Because I love you, and that's the only possible way you will ever notice me_. He thought, biting his lip- a habit he developed over the past few years.

Instead he said, "Well, it's the only way of letting my anger out."

"Tobey," she said, touching his arm, making him forget how to breathe. "That's not the only way you can let your steam out. There are other ways that are less destructive and are better in general."

"It's the only way I know of."

"Well, that way hurts you. Don't you have dreams worth living for? If you keep on this path, you'll never be able to achieve any of them."

"I don't have any dreams worth living for. I think dreams are stupid and unnecessary, because when reality hits you, it hurts."

"So you've never had a dream before?"

"I did-once. But that was when I was younger, when I was still stupid enough to believe that I could achieve anything I wanted if I tried."

"Would you care to tell me?"

"No. The past is in the past, and that's where it belongs. In the past."

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"I don't need your pity!" He snapped. Seeing her reaction, he said, "Sorry. It's just kind of a sore subject for me, the past."

"Oh." Was all she said.

"I just can't give up this life I've worked so hard on for five years." He said, slumping his shoulders. _I just can't give up on you_.

"You can!" She insisted.

"I can't! I can't give it up!" _I won't give up on you. Never._

"If you just tried-"

"I tried! I tried once! Look how that turned out! Believe me, I've tried!" _I tried to forget my feelings for you, and I couldn't. I just couldn't._

"That was in the past. This is the present. I know you can be good, Tobey. I know you can."

"Me? Good?" He laughed a sour laugh. "That's like mixing fire and water together. I'm a villain. I was born evil."

She removed her hand from his arm. His arm felt naked without the comfort of her hand.

"Not everyone was born entirely good or entirely bad. " She said.

"I'm not everyone."

She looked at him, determination blazing in her eyes. "Maybe not, but you, like everyone, can change."

"I WON'T CHANGE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" He finally yelled out. He stood up quickly and started to walk to the other side of the robot, fearing rejection.

"I love you too." She said quietly. And that's when his foot slipped, making him fall.

* * *

 **A/N** **:**

 **So what do you think, dear reader? Anyways, that's all for today.**

 **Robots Forever,**

 **Esmerald-Finally-Stopped-Holding-The-Shift-Key-At-the-Wrong-Times-And-Now-Needs-To-Hold-It-at-the-Right-Tim-Star16 signing off**


	6. Chapter 6

**So remember-if you read the other story, Amabilem-that I said this was going to be the last chapter? This is it, although I may make another chapter-maybe. Depends if I don't feel lazy or am thrown with mountain loads of schoolwork, which for some reason is not decreasing-but I'll see. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and please review, and I'll see you later. Oh, and it's in first person!**

* * *

Chapter Six

"So then what happened?" The eager dark brown haired five year old asked.

"He fell, and unfortunately Wordgirl wasn't able to save him on time. I attended his funeral the next day."

"What? No! That is most illogical!" Cried out his blond twin. "He couldn't have died because he's you! And you're right here!" He cleared his throat. "Besides, you can't attend your own funeral. That's preposterous."

"Yeah, that's….whatever Theo said."

"Preposterous? It means-"

"I know what it means. I just couldn't pronounce it."

"Then, tell me Tobias, what does it mean?"

"With pleasure. Preposterous means contrary to reason or common sense or utterly absurd and/or ridiculous."

"You cheated! You used your powers to figure out the meaning!"

"Are you accusing me of being a defrauder?"

"No, I'm accusing you of being a fraudster!"

"It's the same thing!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Stop the bickering! Goodness, you're worse than Cerberus and Bast on a rainy day." I said.

"Sorry, Dad." They both said apologetically.

"Now where was I?" I wondered.

"You were about to tell us when you get saved by Mom-"

"Wasn't it when-" Theo interjected.

"Hey, you interrupted me!" Tobias cried out in protest.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"What did I tell you about the bickering?" I asked them.

"But he interrupted me!" Tobias exclaimed.

"I did not! I was only expressing my opinion on where Dad left off." Theo said defensively.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Becky walked in and asked.

"Hi, Mom!" The twins greeted her.

"Oh, it's nothing my dear. They just want to hear the end of the story." I told her.

"Well, that'll have to wait for later." Becky said to the children.

"Awww. Why? " They complained.

"It's past your bedtime." Becky said.

"Your mother's right. Go to bed and I'll tell you the rest tomorrow." I said.

"Promise?" Tobias asked.

"I promise." I said. "Now off to bed you two-and no more arguing!"

"Okay." They said and they ran to their room.

"Race ya!"

"What! No fair! You're using your superspeed!"

"No I'm not! It's because you're too slow!"

"No racing in the house!" Becky shouted after them. She let out a sigh. "They remind me of us when we were younger." She said to me.

"I don't remember us quarrelling that much." I stated.

"Oh-" An agitated knock at the door interrupted her. She gave me a puzzled look. I shrugged.

"Were you expecting anyone?" She questioned me.

"Not that I know of. Besides it's too late to be expecting visits."

The person knocked again, more desperate this time. Thunder struck outside, and rain started to fall. I frowned at this sudden weather change.

"Why-oh! This is the storm that was predicted to come somewhere around midnight." Becky said.

"What storm?"

"Mommy!" Two voices cried out from upstairs. "We're scared!"

The person knocked again. I stood up and walked to the door, hesitantly reaching for the doorknob. I opened the door slowly and a black-cloaked figure rushed inside, soaking wet. I closed the door and asked,

"Who are you?"

The figure removed his hood, revealing a man somewhere in his mid-forties. I let out an involuntary gasp.

"Do you remember me?" He asked. I stayed silent, trying to decide whether to feel hateful rage and slap him, or to forgive him and hug him. I shook my head, no.

"It's me. It's me, Theodore, your father!"

"I have no father." Was my monotone reply.

"Yes, you do. It is I! You're my son! Remember that day-"

"I have no father." I said firmly, cutting him off. "My father died many years ago."

His face lost color when he realized what I meant."So this is how it's going to be." He said quietly, his sadness tinting his tone. His eyes met mine. I narrowed my eyes.

"Leave." I said.

"Fine. But first I need to tell you something."

"Make it quick."

"Claire wasn't your real mother."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **And this is how the story ends. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this, and I appreciate all your support-it means a lot to me. I don't know what to say. (That's a first. My mom is always telling me to be quiet. ;D) When I first wrote this, I didn't expect anybody to notice it, much less like it. (I am that type of person who sees the glass half empty.) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, this has been _The Midnight Man_ , and so long!**

 **Robots Forever,**

 **EsmeraldStar16**

 **P.S:**

 **Now that I'm done with this, I do have a couple of story ideas in mind. A few of them are;**

 _ **The Adventures of Theo and Tobias:  
**_ **What can the children of an ex-superhero and and former villain get into?**

 _ **To End A Different Way:**_ **  
What if Tobey had been there during _Rhyme and Reason Pt. 2,_ and discovered Wordgirl's secret identity? (Kinda silly, I know. Came to me when I was ****watching the episode. Need to fix a plot hole.)**

 _ **Wordgirl Vs. The Night Arrow's Maiden:**_ **  
****My OC against Wordgirl in a battle to win Tobey's heart! Who will win? (I, even though I am a Tobecky shipper, can't decide. My OC has been with me since I was eight...)**

 **Of course, I will get to these as soon as I finish my other stories, but when I do get there, which one should I do first? All opinions are welcome!**


End file.
